Thunder in the Valley Airshow 2011

Thanks to a church friend, our family received free tickets to the Thunder In the Valley Airshow on Saturday. We left the house prepared with our wet wipes, sunblock, sunglasses, and earplugs. It was a beautiful day and the planes were amazing! I am still amazed that God gifted humans with the skills to make an object that flies in the air and transports people to spots around the world, over oceans, mountains, and long distance. Unfathomable!

I think Andrew enjoyed the airshow most - at least seeing the actual aerobatic shows and aircraft cockpits. Luke and Abigail enjoyed the souvenirs and face painting more than anything. We lasted four hours at the airshow and I was thankful the children didn't tire or complain (well, at least not until the last 30 min. or so).

Wait, I need to correct myself....the shuttle bus ride back to the parking deck was BY FAR their favorite part of our outing. Who knew?

Outside snack

It was 85 degrees today! Beautiful!

After school Friday, we went home and ate Popsicles outside and then rode bikes, hit the tennis ball in the cul-de-sac, skateboarded, flew on roller blades, and practiced throwing & catching the baseball.

There was a slight breeze in the air at about 4 miles per hour. I can almost smell spring.

"Mercy!"

Mitch and I sat in front of the computer tonight, laughing together until it hurt. What made us giggle and cry tears of fun? Mercy Me (the band) has recorded a lot of old cover songs, some of which they don't know the lyrics - such as this one.

But, our favorite video of them all is the one below - The Eye of the Tiger.



Even though the videos are silly, it's still encouraging to see a group of grown men have such happy friendship with one another. It's all about God - even in the fun.

Other GRAB BAG tunes you can watch:

Thriller
Stayin' Alive
Hard To Say Goodbye
Footloose
Obladi Oblada (Fantastic!)
Hey Ya
I Feel Fine
Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi)
Crazy
Wanna Be Like You (Jungle Book)
I Will Survive
Jump
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
It's the End of the World
Hold Me Now (Funny!)
Shout
New Sensation
More Than Words
Never Gonna Give You Up (bad dancing - you've been warned)
Jesus Is Still Alright
Take On Me

He's hilarious!

He ASKED for me to take this picture, I kid you not. He's our future graduate of Georgia Tech - that will make his daddy proud!

Because he's mine and I can.

Andrew plays and works so hard during the day that he's at complete empty and full of exhaustion by bedtime. He is always hungry, eating us out of house and home. Thank goodness he's not a picky food eater!


I look at this picture and my heart melts. I love this little guy...well, he's not so little anymore because he'll be seven next month. Last night, I asked him if I could pick him up and carry him. He said yes so I asked him to jump high as to get a good grip and bounce. He laughed, smiled and said, "You ready?". I remember that sweet small trek from the couch to his bedroom and how I took in every moment to hold him in my arms, on my hip, close to my hair, skin, and nose. His hair was still wet from his evening bath but I loved having his head next to my ear. I don't know if I'll be able to hold him like that much longer - but I will try.

God has given us a precious gift and I only hope we can show Andrew how much we love him and that Jesus loves him far more than we ever could.

This is another canvas that will adorn one of our living room walls!

Valentine tulips

I'm not a fan of receiving flowers....especially on special occasions. However, Mitch knows that my favorite flower is a tulip and he arrived home on Valentine's Day, 2010, with a surprise bouquet of the beautiful flowers. Although it was a bit late to plant the bulbs (once the flower wilted and died), I saved them and remembered to plant them this past fall.

They are sprouting and have buds. I'm excited to see them once they bloom!

Free Bruster's

Yep, the first Saturday in March is always "PJ Day" at Bruster's.

We never fail to make a visit, albeit a dark & blurry one (eve of DST).

Just a week in review of the massive cuteness

They love her - You, Meme!

Mitch's mother, Meme (also known as Cheryl), joined us for dinner out tonight. It was good to simply sit around the table and chat while munching on food. We had her all to ourselves and it bought me joy to watch my children swarm to her with arms open wide for a hug and kiss (especially Abigail).

We really should do this more often, MeMe. You are the best mother-in-law in the world. I mean that.

4 years & I'm finally "decorating"

We've lived in our house for four years. I've always hated the wallpaper that adorns the bathroom, dining room, and top of the kitchen walls. So, a few weeks ago, I removed the wallpaper border in the kitchen and painted it gossamer blue and the living room in sea star (the true colors are darker on the walls than the online sample). My house feels cozier and warmer but all the walls are still bare. A friend is helping me use what I have to make the room "work" but I still like creating things and adding that personal touch.

At a wedding this past weekend, the couple gave Jelly Belly beans as a party favor in these boxes:


This afternoon I emptied the beans into a Ziploc bag and started for the trash can - that's when I couldn't bear to throw those cute little brown cardboard boxes away! I knew I could use them for something so I started racking my brain to start and finish a project immediately - TODAY! I'm terrible at saving things like this with the intention of "doing something creative" but then forgetting about it and adding it to a "later" pile.

Big Lots is a great place to find discounted scrapbook paper. The colors in my living room went great with a new pad of paper I had just purchased. So, I chose my designs, measured the squares, bordered them with black, glued 'em on, and....DONE!



The five cute boxes now sit atop my mantle. Also, I had a great coupon last week and just ordered this canvas in a size 24 x 20 to hang somewhere in the room (I'll post finished pictures when the time comes....if it ever comes):

To be continued....

A good marriage

Well, I don't drink these together (yuck!) but I do like both of these beverages. Even though they are BAD BAD BAD for me, they are my "happy place".

On a different note, Mitch loves (did I say "love"?) McDonald's sweet tea, even if he does dilute it a little bit with a tad of unsweet. I, however, love Diet Coke out of a cold can.

Both make a good marriage.

Needing a cut

As I was drying my hair this morning, I thought, "Why do I not seem to think about my hair that often?". Then, I felt weird for even thinking about my hair. There's nothing that really prompts me to consider a haircut other than an occasional battle with a hair appliance. I tried to remember the last time I got my hair cut but I couldn't recall. I know it's been cut once since my friend left me (b/c that's the calendar I'm still using in my head), so I guess it's due time for a trim to keep from looking homely.

Have I let myself "go"?

I promise my toenails stay trimmed. Ewwwwww.....

The wedding was amazing

God was glorified.
Two flesh became one.
We all partied 'til the sun set.

Now it's time to get busy editing the over 1000 pictures that I took.

It's wedding time & they are acting crazy!

The bride in the middle
& her crazy sisters surrounding.

It's gonna be a fun day!
GO AWAY RAIN!

In what time period does he think?

Medieval is the answer (for now). This post might seem morbid but I promise Luke isn't fascinated by anything bloody. It's just part of the time period momentarily in his mind.

Luke's pirate ship of medieval times.

Luke's own version of the book we just read,
The Knight and the Dragon, by Tomie DePaola.

Luke's illustration of The Rack medieval torture device.
Believe me, he's not that into it.
Just a fact.

7 Quick Takes (kind of like FB status updates)

Just me rambling.....

1. Andrew just got out of bed and told me his teeth hurt (they are loose b/c he's been wiggling them all day). I wrapped my arms around him and said, "I remember the wonderful day you were born!", and he responded, "Yeah, that was a day I had no teeth!".

2. I'm photographing my first wedding this weekend as the lead shooter. I'm scared! I'll be busy taking pictures, my husband will officiate, my daughter will throw flower petals, and my boys will bear the rings. Needless to say, my mother and sister are coming into town this weekend.

3. My brother and sister-in-law just joined a wonderful church in the Atlanta area. I am thrilled for them!

4. My living room is newly painted, my kitchen is newly painted, and my foyer if primed (it was red and needed three coats, hence the delay). My children are helping me strip the wallpaper in the hall bathroom. Making progress!

5. When I was sick with the flu for two solid weeks, I apparently slept on my sides evenly for long periods of time. Now, I have two large bruises on each of my outer thighs - WEIRD!

6. Today, I was sneezed on (again) by two of my five year old students. The Kleenex, Purell, and Influenza lecture didn't work.

7. The city wide consignment sale is approaching and I've got lots of work to do. There's far too much JUNK in this house. You might see me on Hoarders - just joking....kind of.

Because he's mine and I can

He's dramatic.
Always dancing, acting, and creating.

Yeah, he likes this pose for some reason.

Just a ham for the camera (most of the time).

Below is one of his creations which he explained to me today: "This is my farm with all the animals and little bit of monkey in it. Oh yeah, Mom....there's a hidden tiger prowling around in the pen, too." (click image to enlarge and see the tiger)

Give him a marker, pen, pencil, stamps, paint, or chalk and he'll create a masterpiece.

Only 6 more days, Beth!

Because she's mine and I can

I'm devoting a post to my daughter in all of her cuteness. Her scooter is her favorite outdoor toy and she'd take it everywhere with her if she could. Something about the wind in her hair and the pace of speed as objects pass by. Makes me think she's gonna like her first motorcycle ride!...don't get any ideas, Brian B. and Crissy S.!

Still not well (!)

A few friends expressed some concern to me today that my flu may have developed into a bacterial lung or bronchial infection (pneumonia?).

I'm going to the doctor on Monday, but should I go to church on Sunday?

Hyper Jump game

My sister gave the fun, affordable, and active game, Hyper Jump, to our family for Christmas. My children love it, especially Abigail. She can spend so many rounds jumping on the correct colors and numbers that the computer voice calls out. It's also a good way to get the heartbeat up while inside (great for a rainy day or on those days when Mom is sick). Hyper Jump gives the option to play with one or two people and has up to four levels of difficulty. Maybe I'll get around to recording my kids playing this game....I'll save that for a future post.



I've not been paid to post about this product....I just wanted to share the love!

Wrong end

His fever keeps coming and going.


He'd rather sleep on the floor than anywhere else.

Influenza

I have avoided blogging this week.

First, I got the flu.

Next, Abigail got the flu.

Then, Mitch got the flu.

Fourth, Luke got the flu.

Finally, Andrew has the flu.

That is all.

On the mends....

I've missed two days of work this week and looks like tomorrow will make three. Sunday night, while hosting LIFE group at our house, I excused myself in the middle of the lesson so I could go lie down. Little did I know that my body was getting hotter and would soon develop THE FLU. Like the phrase, "....in bed all day", I literally was in bed all day Monday. I thought that I would feel better in the morning but the worse was yet to come. Waking at 7:30 AM, I really felt like I was about to die. I could barely stand, definitely couldn't walk straight, was burning up with a fever of 103.9, felt delirious, and cried out to Mitch, "Please take me to the ER or call 911!". Mitch rushed and got the kids ready and out the door to school. When he returned, he asked if I wanted an ambulance or if I could stand the ride in our car. Before I could answer, the sweat began to pour and saturate the bed sheets. My fever was breaking. Sweating never felt so good.

Maybe I'll get a flu shot next year.

It's almost wedding time

A friend, Beth, is getting married in just three weeks. The ones of us from church that are in the wedding gathered tonight with Beth to celebrate over dinner and gift giving of....well.....ummmmm.....you know. Congrats, Beth!

Potato chips

My friend, Jennie, came over to my house this afternoon to chat, help me pick out some paint colors, and to let our kids play. About an hour before I started dinner, our two youngest children (both girls) began begging for a snack. It was hilarious to watch them walk the circle of rooms and whine, "I wanna 'nack. I wanna 'nack." Apparently, Jennie and I were in such focused conversation that we kind of lost track of the girls for a few moments. When we realized how quiet the house had gotten, we got up from our warm spots and searched for our daughters.

We found them, alright. In the kitchen where their little fingers were greasy with potato chips, crumbs all over the floor, a pair of scissors and cut out plastic top of the chip bag on the counter, and two guilty faces cramming the last few chips from their hand to their mouths, getting the last bite in...'cause they knew they'd gotten caught! Soon, all four of us were laughing at their mischievous skills.

If you know my husband, he LOVES his Lay's potato chips. When he went to retrieve his bag of munchies for his Thursday evening fill of THE BIG BANG THEORY, he asked, "Ummmm, is there a reason why there's a clear even cut across the top of this bag?". That was a funny story to tell.